Cascais Travel Guide

by our Portugal expert Conrad Freethy

On Portugal’s ‘more bracing’ Atlantic coast, this old fishing village is still not dominated by tourism although offering everything a modern visitor could want. Excellent family beaches plus surf, wind-sports opportunities and spectacular blow-holes nearby (some care needed and the ‘Mouth of Hell’ rocks are to look at not swim from!). Far more ‘Portuguese’ than the Algarve, Lisbon is a short and pleasant train journey away, while the historic town of Sintra is even closer with its Moorish Castle and Royal Palace. Cascais has the most wonderful seafood with some unique-to-the area varieties. An accompanying glass or two of Vinho Verde can help you with the ‘shusshy’ ‘s’s in the town’s name for the taxi home.